Display assemblies are used to present images and video. Display assemblies can include a display panel and may also include a lens extending parallel to the display panel. An adhesive is sometimes used to secure the lens to the display panel. Specific applications of display assemblies may include instrument clusters or infotainment systems in vehicles, for example. Such display assemblies can provide the driver and/or passengers of a vehicle with useful information for operating the vehicle and/or for entertainment.
As display assemblies become more advanced, consumers tend to prefer display assemblies capable of effects that show perceived physical depth. The perceived physical depth may provide a more immersive three dimensional experience. Also, in the case of instrument clusters particularly, physical gauges may be used in conjunction with the display panel. However, it can be difficult to effectively combine the physical gauges with the display panel in a way that makes the result look visually seamless across multiple planes in a three dimensional space. The difficulty can arise due to the perceived viewing distance of physical gauges to the viewer as compared to the perceived viewing distance to the display panel (i.e., the physical gauge does not appear to be embedded in the display panel).
In order to create the perception of physical depth, display assemblies conventionally utilize two or more display panels. As a result, such display assemblies are usually more expensive to produce and only convincingly create the appearance of depth when images and video displayed on each display panel is processed or tailored to help create the illusion of depth. In other words, the images and video on the first display must be augmented with images and video on the second display that give the viewer the overall impression that the combined images and videos are three dimensional.
Display assemblies can alternatively present images and video separately to each eye stereoscopically in order to create a three dimensional effect. Such stereoscopic display assemblies, however, may require electronic shuttering and/or the use of special glasses to be worn by the viewer to ensure that the viewer's eyes properly receive the stereoscopic images and video.